The fact is there usually aren’t any. This is a disease that is insidious and people who have it are often unaware of the problem until serious symptoms occur, if ever. A very common health problem, it is estimated that around 20% of all adults in the United States have this condition.

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

Here are a few symptoms that have been noted in this disease:

Fatigue – Some people with fatty liver disease are unusually tired

Unexplained weight loss – You may experience weight loss even if you aren’t dieting

Pain in the upper right hand side

Nausea

Patchy darkened skin areas, usually on your neck or underarms

Many people who have the nonalcoholic form of the disease never suffer any ill effects, while others do. In its advanced stages, you might have these symptoms:

Any manifestation of these symptoms and you should not waste any time getting to a doctor. If you are experiencing any of the first group of symptoms, you should also see a doctor since any of them could signal a potentially serious health concern, even if not a liver problem.

This is particularly true of pain in your upper right side, which is where your liver and gallbladder are both located.

What Tests are Done to Diagnose Fatty Liver Disease?

There are several diagnostic tests that may be performed to identify this condition. Your doctor might want you to have one or all of them, depending on the findings. Sometimes one test will show something that another test didn’t. For example, a liver biopsy furnishes an actual piece of the liver for examination.

Here are the current tests being done to diagnose this disease:

Blood work may be drawn. It will show if there are elevations in liver enzymes, which can include alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, and aspartate aminotransferase, or AST.

Imaging tests. This can be an MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or a CT scan, which is computerized tomography. Sometimes, the doctor will want an ultrasound of the liver, also.

Liver Biopsy. This one is the only test that can definitely and conclusively diagnose the disease. A long needle is inserted through the abdominal wall into your liver and a little piece of liver tissue is removed and then examined under a microscope.

Depending on your doctor and your resources – whether or not you have insurance, for instance – you might opt for skipping the first two diagnostic tests and going straight for the liver biopsy that gets right to the heart of the matter with a definite diagnosis right away.

If in doubt about whether or not you have fatty liver disease, it is best to go ahead and consult a doctor about it, just to be on the safe side.

If you are diagnosed with it, there are homeopathic treatments that have proven effective in many people at treating, and even reversing, the course of the disease. You can also try a special and effective liver cleansing diet that will reverse the disease if followed properly.

I have a pain similar to someone pushing their fingers in to me,its just under my rib cage, right hand side, it comes and goes. I also have a ‘full’ feeling under my ribs when i sit down, i feel light headed and headachy and like pressure is building up in my head and neck. It is relieved when i am lying down or upright. My waist measurement as gone up. I feel tired all the time, have no energy and get disorientated quite often and have a ‘fuzzy’ head most days. I do have heart disease and type 2 diabetes which are both under control. Blood tests and scan for gallstones showed up a slightly fatty liver 2 yrs ago. I had my gallbladder removed and i have been reasonably healthy since. The doctor didnt seem too concerned about my liver at my last health check. I try to eat healthy but recently have let that slip. This article was very informative

I was told about a year age that I had a Fatty Liver by my Doctor, I thought nothing of it thinking all well.
I kick myself in the you know what for not researching this condition and I wish my Doctor would have told me the seriousness of this condition. With that said I also have the pain in my right side with severe right lower back pain. Is this normal? I have had test done for Kidney stones and nothing. I have a CT scan with contras Friday to make sure nothing else is going on there.

That’s the problem with this disease – it sneaks up on you slowly, so it’s hard to change your lifestyle, thinking “Oh, I’ll start tomorrow.” Fortunately, the liver is one of the toughest organs in the body – it has to be, it filters out all the poisons and toxins that enter your body – but years of neglect wear on it. It’s not too late to start.

Thank you Greg for your comments. I am really hitting this exercising and eating right REALLY HARD!!! I am watching my calorie intake at 1800, eating salads, I just ran 2 miles , it feels great. I do have a question, I have started taking an OTC supplement call Liver Aid, what is your option about Liver supplements and if you could recommend any other supplement? Thanks